There are many applications in which a hose is used to transport material-gases, liquids, particulates, a slurry, etc., and the material to be transported requires its temperature to remain elevated for one or more different reasons. Therefore, heated hoses being adapted for particular applications are known within the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,023 to Jameson is for “Thermally Insulated Electrically Heated Hose for Transporting Hot Liquids.” The Jameson hose is specifically adapted for transporting molten adhesive from a melter to a dispenser, and comprises a Teflon tube having two hard plastic cuffs at the ends, each of which have a hard plastic tube extending radially from a side thereof for accommodating the exit of the electrical leads.
Another example is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 8,028,721 to Koskey for a “Heated Garden Hose For Cold Weather Use.” The Koskey heated hose includes a standard garden hose that is secured onto one leg of a Y-coupler, with the second end of the Y-coupler being used for receiving an inlet coupler for hooking the hose to a faucet spout. An electrical heating cable is mated to the branch of the “Y” with its plug being exposed therefrom, and with the cable portion free-floating within the standard garden hose portion to heat water as it flows therein.
Both of these prior art heated hoses loosely exemplify the two main construction types utilized for the heating of materials within tubes and hoses. The first utilizes a rigid fitting to support the electrical termination, but this construction type is in direct opposition to the use of a soft plastic cuff, which is preferable to many end users, especially for a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, because a soft cuff provides a more positive connection and is identical to the current, proven, attachment design for standard non-heated CPAP hoses.
The second utilizes a molded plastic end “cuff” or fitting from which a flexible cord extends to accommodate the electrical wires and a plug/receptacle in an umbilical arrangement, to relieve stresses imposed upon the electrical connection with the fitting. However, this construction type, in addition to being aesthetically less attractive, has several significant drawbacks: it results in a higher per/unit cost due to the extra cord and plug that are required; it results in a heavier hose arrangement due to the extra weight of that cord and plug; and it affects long term reliability, as the extra plug and cord constitute one more connection that can fail. Where just a soft end cuff is used without the umbilical arrangement, failure results quickly as the soft cuff material does not have the strength to retain the electrical connection throughout repeated cycles of insertion/removal of the power connector, and it is ultimately dislodged or ripped loose exposing live wiring inside the cuff.
The heated hose of the current invention includes a cuff that uniquely accommodates the electrical connection to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, while permitting the desirability of the soft cuff interface.